Lynch has toiled to condense Frank Herbert's mammoth SF novel into two hours twenty: 10000 years in the future the life-and-death struggle between the Atreides and Harkonnens for the vital spice Melange, which is vital for space travel and is guarded by giant mile-long worms, takes place on a third planet - Arrakis, the desert planet, home to the Fremen, dune dwellers with vivid blue eyes. Fremen legend tells of a Messiah who will be able to drink the water of life, previous tasters having tried and died. That Paul Atreides (MacLachlan) knows how to fit his desert survival suit is taken as a promising early sign that now, perhaps, the time has come. Lynch's third feature is marked by unforgettable images and an extraordinary soundtrack, the sets and props - from steaming machinery to dimly lit interiors, via personal bug-juice extractors - are reminiscent of Eraserhead, and also recall Metropolis and Blade Runner. The constant whispered thoughts may be expositionally expedient, but they also help to establish a much-needed intimacy in a film of this scale. An epic with magnificent FX and sets - if a somewhat complicated storyline.